Chapter 2: Jack's ego is bruised and he's searching for answers as to why Apanie isn't attracted to him.
AN ETERNITY: Chapter 2
Jack rolled over and checked the clock next to his bed. Thumping his head back down on the pillow her rubbed both hands over his face and then through his hair before heaving his body to a standing position. It was 3am and he could hear the soft murmuring of voices in the main area of the Hub. He grabbed a white t-shirt from a draw and threw put it on as he made his way out to the two women who were obviously still hard at work on deciphering the hieroglyphs on their artifact.
"When I said pull an all-nighter I wasn't meaning literally Tosh…" he trailed off when he realized that Tosh was asleep, bent over the sketches on the desk in front of her. Apanie was staring at a computer monitor and muttering excitedly to herself. He watched her for a time, taking in the loosely tied back mass of curls, her not-quite-fashionable skirt and shirt. He smiled despite himself as he took in her bare feet. She was standing with her back to him, hands on hips. She didn't seem to have noticed his presence or the fact that he'd spoken. He slowly approached her from behind, not hiding the sound of his footfalls, but all the same when he placed his hands on her shoulders Apanie let out a small squeak and spun around.
Her heart was pounding as she stared up at him, her forearms now pressed between their two chests and his hands gently gripping her hips to steady her.
"Whoa! App, it's just me" he told her with an amused smile. She sucked in a breath and ducked her head
"Jesus Jack, don't sneak up on me like that!" she made no attempt to move out of his embrace much to his surprise and pleasure.
"I did actually say something before I came in App" he told her.
"Ah, well, you know what I'm like" she sighed with a wry grin "Toshiko fell asleep around three hours ago" she told him in a hushed intimate tone, meeting his gaze "she's lovely Jack, I really like her."
She suddenly found herself at arms distance from him, and his hands gripped her shoulders as her bent slightly to her height and to meet her eyes more fully
"You like Tosh? Is this why? –" his question was cut off when she slapped his chest and pushed him away fully
"I'm not gay Jack!" she hissed at him, torn between anger and amusement "Just because someone doesn't fall at your feet immediately doesn't mean they bat for another team".
"Immediately? It's been 60 years and I've yet to see you fall for anyone or anything that wasn't some stupid cultural artifact!" Jack's voice was low and angry, his gestures abrupt as he pointed at her and then the small pyramid-like artifact that she'd been studying.
Apanie glared at him, any amusement gone from her face
"I was wondering how long we could go before that would come up."
"Well I was just thinking how appropriate it was that only cold stone and metal could find it's way into your heart" Jack muttered darkly, wanting to hurt her the way she'd hurt him all those years ago.
Before the conversation could go any further however, Tosh stirred and opened sleepy eyes. Jack pulled his face away from Apanie's, having been unaware of getting back up into her personal space, but before he turned to walk away the glittering in her jade-green eyes didn't go unnoticed. He felt like a right shit at that moment and he wished he could apologise and make things better, take it all back.
"What's going on?" Tosh asked in a soft croaky voice "How long have I been asleep?"
"About three hours" Apanie whispered, watching Jack from below lowered lashes, like she was suddenly ashamed of herself.
"Did you get anywhere with the hieroglyphs?" Tosh asked, standing up and stretching, then refocusing on Jack and Apanie. Apanie broke eye contact with her oldest friend and turned to Tosh with a grin.
Jack was almost shocked at how quickly her demeanour changed, although he silently acknowledged to himself that he, more than anyone else, should know the hold that these things had over this woman. Cursing himself he left the main hold, returning to his room to fret the rest of the night away, plagued by thoughts of Apanie's hurt gaze and to ponder the validity of his final statement.
"So I figured out how to turn it on!" Apanie's full attention was back on the Australian artifact. Toshiko watched in fascinated silence as Apanie picked up the object and suddenly all the hieroglyphs lit up. Apanie met the gaze of the Japanese woman
"Cool huh?"
"Is that the educated response?" Toshiko laughed her question into the air.
The little object's lights flashed green with each word and the two women's eyes went wide.
"Whoa!" Apanie said as she slowly placed the little pyramid back on the desk between the two of them. Looking up at Apanie, Tosh asked
"Could it be measuring sound waves?"
"Well, I guess it could be. But what would the point be in that? Unless it's like a tiny alien Echelon device?"
"Could it be storing all of the audible data for later use perhaps?" Tosh endeavoured and Apanie nodded
"Look I'm not a scientist, but I have been working on the glyphs and they're not all from the one written language. I'm thinking that each little glyph is actually a representation of a different language system"
"So could the device be collecting verbal data for later use? Like a tape recorder"
"I honestly don't know at this stage. Could you run some tests? I know you wanted to do it earlier but I really wanted to get a handle on the hieroglyphs, you know?" Apanie slid the little pyramid closer to Toshiko who gingerly picked it up, her eyes lit up at the prospect of figuring out the science behind the little device…once she figured out what it did of course. Apanie watched the other woman with curiousity, wondering if her face lit up like that whenever she was presented with a new artifact or anthropological find.
She desperately wanted to figure out this new find, excited that it was found by her expedition and because it had allowed her a reason to find Captain Jack Harkness again.
It briefly crossed her mind that she wouldn't have needed a reason, he would have been pleased to see her no matter what; but she'd never looked back to see the look on his face, she'd been all too consumed with her own interests and when they'd said goodbye and she'd seen the tears in his eyes, she'd still walked away without looking back.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Apanie looked back to Toshiko only to find that the woman was gone. There were shuffling sounds coming from a room off to the side, so Apanie assumed that Tosh was already setting about to figure out what the little pyramid device did, other than sit there and flash pretty blue and green lights.
She sighed deeply, running a hand through her hair and then pulling it loose from the hair-band she'd tied it back with earlier. Looking around the facility she couldn't quite figure out where she was supposed to sleep. Doubts about coming here began to surface more readily and she suddenly felt extremely tired. She groaned softly and slumped down into a nearby chair, startling moments later at the sound of a door slamming from above her.
Looking up she noted that Jack was back up in his office, sitting at his desk, feet up with a glass of what looked like brandy. Sighing again, she heaved herself off the chair and made her way up to his office.
Her soft knock on the door went unanswered, so she let herself in. Before she could speak, Jack's voice reached her
"I'm sorry Apanie. You know I didn't really mean those things"
"Yes you did Jack. I try to understand you, I really do. I know you try to understand me too…you will in time. We have an eternity Jack, what's 60 years? Give me time, don't rush me…I'm not like you" her voice took on a slightly pleading tone which she hated. Jack still hadn't faced her but she could see him give a small nod
"We can't have this conversation here Apanie" his voice cracked on her name and she approached him quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder and spinning his chair around so that he was forced to face her. She leaned closer to him, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her. Her angry glare softened when she watched as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Cursing herself again for forgetting the impact she had on him, she slowly let go of him and back off. He sighed audibly as she pulled herself out of his personal space.
"Jack, you're my oldest friend" she told him seriously, eliciting a half-laugh from him "I don't want us to be like this. I want us to get past this. Isn't 60 years long enough?"
"You said we had an eternity" he reminded her
"Are you going to avoid me for eternity? Just because I won't kiss you Jack? Because if that's all it'll take for us to get past this then kiss me now because I've missed you and I don't want to be away from you for another 60 years!"
And suddenly Jack was out of his seat, in her personal space, backing her up against the wall. Lips so close to hers that she could taste his breath, thick with brandy, his heart was pounding beneath the hand she'd placed between them. Smoothing her hand up his chest to his shoulder she parted her lips slightly, flicking her eyes up to gaze at him as he blundered across this barrier between them.
"I won't kiss you against your will Apanie" he grated out "I want you to want it, want me, the way I've always wanted you" and then his heat and his body were gone, across the room, putting a desk and a chair and filing cabinet and anything else he could find between them.
Feedback encouraged. I need to know if I ought to bother continuing.